[net.invest] PC charting/recommendation software?

guy@anasazi.UUCP (Guy Finney) (12/24/85)

Apologies if this has been around recently (sounds like something
that might have been, but I haven't subscribed to net.invest in
a long time).

Having played around with my own homebrew charting programs,
I get curious when I see ads in places like Barrons or Investors Daily
for PC-based charting packages.  Some even purport to make
recommendations based on canned indicators, or allow you to
create your own.  I've sent away for a couple of demo disks to
see what they look like, but I'll be surprised if they tell me much.

Do any of you currently use a commercially available package?
What do you feel are its best and worst points?
In what format does it like its data?  Where do you retrieve yours
from and how hard is it to massage into what the program wants?
What sorts of recommendations does it make (uh, besides buy/sell/hold;
e.g. confidence percentage, advice on hedges with options, etc).
Do you use your own homebrew programs instead of or in addition
to the commercially available package?  Why?
Are the packages aimed more at traders or long term'ers (i.e. when
does it make a recommendation and how fast does it change its mind)?

This should start an interesting discussion!
-- 
Guy Finney
{decvax|ihnp4}!terak!anasazi!guy